Davis land developer must build tunnel for toads to build senior housing
DAVIS — A land developer in Davis looking to build a senior housing community is being told he must first build a toad tunnel.
"They have not been able to articulate the need. They simply say, 'we want it because we think it's a good idea,' said Land Developer David Taormino.
Dave says the project was approved by voters in 2018, but now he is appealing the city's requirement for him to build toad tunnels.
The plans require a pair of eight-foot-wide underground drainage pipes similar to ones used to divert stormwater runoff.
"What the city has asked us to do is to customize those tunnels and make them into frog-friendly critter tunnels so that critters will feel comfortable entering in a dark tunnel."
The features that Dave is being asked to include are a concrete bottom that resembles cobblestones and building an 18-inch wooden boardwalk above the waterline.
Some Davis residents are not happy about the city's requirements.
"Just keep adding more bureaucracy to everything we do here, and it makes it hard to get anything done," said a Davis community member.
Davis officials would not comment on camera, but they released a statement.
On Nov. 4, 2020, the City of Davis Planning Commission approved the Bretton Woods tentative subdivision map during a public hearing and subject to certain conditions of approval. Among those conditions were requirements for specific pathway materials and widths, a wildlife crossing shelf/ledge and natural bottom for a culvert crossing, certain streets in the project to be maintained by the Homeowner's Association instead of the City, and a requirement to use native plant materials. The area alongside the Covell Boulevard location is a known wildlife corridor, and the wildlife crossing shelf/ledge provides access for the wildlife when there is water in the culvert. Contrary to statements made by the Applicant, conditions for the project do not include a "toad tunnel."
All of these conditions were considered by the Planning Commission on the night of their final approval with the Applicant in attendance at the meeting. After the Planning Commission's decision, the Applicant had the opportunity to appeal the project to the City Council, which would have allowed the Applicant the opportunity to contest conditions of approval, but no appeal was made.
Now, in August 2022, the project has broken ground. The applicant recently filed an application for an amendment to modify the project requirements and conditions. City staff is reviewing the developer's application and will present a report and recommendation to the Planning Commission. It is anticipated that the Planning Commission hearing for this item will occur on Oct. 12, 2022.
In protest, Dave's team created a cartoon character named "Fletcher the Frog" to raise awareness about the city's requirements.